


Out Of Reach

by HeyImCaro



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Also a bit of kaisoo because I want to, Baekhyun is a nerd, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Sehun is cool, This is cute, this will be short tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-11 23:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7911976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyImCaro/pseuds/HeyImCaro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deep down Baekhyun knew that piece called Oh Sehun would not mathematically, rationality or logically fit into his world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First.

The sun beat down on the beach goers. After bookmarking and closing his book, Baekhyun wiped his sweaty forehead. His hat did nothing to catch the liquid, instead his head felt even hotter. He had to remove his sunglasses several times to wipe his face. The protective materials were becoming more of a hindrance to his mission than helping. Bu Baekhyun knew he needed to keep wearing the hat and sunglasses, or he would be caught. At least he thought so.

Baekhyun opened his sci-fi book and attempted to read. Again. Frowning, Baekhyun noticed that the book he held was on the same page it was when he first sat down on the beach. Hopefully no one notice that. He flipped several pages to make it seem like he was actually reading, and totally not checking out a guy.

There was a loud cheer from a sand volleyball court that got Baekhyun’s attention. Looking up from his book, Baekhyun saw a group of students celebrating. Most of them were undergraduates at the university he attended; he had seen them in campus for the summer session. Through the collage’s website, he had discovered many of these students were athletes. It seemed that some of them needed to take classes now to free up the semesters when they played their sport.

The guys in the group had their shirt off and the girls wore tank tops, hoping the ocean breeze would cool them from the heat of the afternoon sun. Being athletes, the players had toned and fit bodies, with both bulky and lean muscles. Baekhyun could admit that they were all good looking individuals. But one of them had caught Baekhyun’s attention for more than his attractive body: Oh Sehun.

Physically, the man was built like a swimmer’s dream. Oh Sehun was tall, with broad shoulders and well-defined muscles. Flat but muscular abs accentuated his long torso. Sehun’s deep, dark-brown eyes matched his blond hair. Even as a junior, he was the co-captain of the university’s swim team and had been named Conference Swimmer of the Year. Baekhyun read that Sehun actually wanted to play volleyball, but their college did not have men’s team. So he pursued, and earned, a full scholarship in swimming, his other high school sport.

Not only he was good in the athletic world, but he was above average in academic too. He excelled in most of his studies and had one of the biggest GPAs in his apartment. Sehun was on path to finish magna cum laude in economic.

Baekhyun sighed and flipped another page. It wasn’t fair. Sehun had both side of the spectrum: brains and brawn—and looks. Baekhyun only had brains. And a lot of them.

Byun Baekhyun was the youngest student on path to a PhD in university’s history. He showed high intelligence as a child, especially in the science field, and graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. Through Baekhyun had many enticing offers to attend large universities, his parents enrolled him in the local college so that he could stay at home. His parents wanted still wanted him to have a childhood and friends, even if he wasn’t going to the same school as his neighborhood pals. As hard as his parents tried not to let their son “grow up too fast,” Baekhyun was an undergraduate student for only three years, earning two bachelor’s degrees, one minor, and publishing two papers.

When choosing where he wanted to earn his doctorate, Baekhyun had his heart set on one of the multiple offers. He selected a university that had a large computer programming department, and a funded Artificial Intelligence program, which was nearly unheard of in universities.

Baekhyun was set on his path, the puzzle piece already in place for his life: school, graduate, work for an AI research company. The pieces were, and had always been, easily into place.

Then one day he saw Oh Sehun. His simple puzzle became complex.

Pulling him out of his reverie, a sudden gust caused the pages of his book to flap quickly and his ball cap almost flew away with the wind. When the breeze died down, Baekhyun fixed his cap and slowly looked up. There, not even a meter away, was a volleyball.

“No worries! I got it.”

Baekhyun knew the voice. He looked up slowly to see that Sehun—the Oh Sehun—was jogging his way to get the stay volleyball. Baekhyun tensed up. He couldn’t get caught. Baekhyun quickly buried his face in his book and hunched over.

He only heard his raging heartbeat as the seconds passed. He snuck a peek over his book when he thought the man he had been admiring from affair had left. Baekhyun saw that Sehun was still there, volleyball tucked under his arm and looking his way. Baekhyun knew Sehun couldn’t tell that he was starting at him through the dark shades, yet his heart rate sped up and he sweated nervously. He clutched his book tighter so that it wouldn’t fall out of his grasp.

This was the first time Sehun had looked Baekhyun’s way. As Baekhyun paused in his panic to wonder why Sehun was actually looking at him. Sehun started walking in his direction.

As quickly as the nervousness came over him, Baekhyun felt a rush of calm and determination. This was Baekhyun’s chance, now or never. This could be the moment when they finally met.

He closed his book and began to stand up. At the exact moment, a voice shouted from behind him.

“Sehun! Can we play with you today?”

Sehun halted abruptly and redirect his gaze behind Baekhyun. He shook his head, smiled, and waved to someone Baekhyun couldn’t see.

Baekhyun, though disappointed, could not stop his motion to make the situation less awkward. He stood up all the way and noticed a group of female students walking toward Sehun. In an attempt to dispel some of the awkwardness, Baekhyun quickly gathered his things and headed to the bicycle lot.

It wasn’t meant to be. Every time Baekhyun had the guts to approach Sehun on the beach, something always deterred him. He couldn’t approach him on campus since Sehun always seemed to be surrounded by his friends or other students.

Baekhyun started working the combination on his bike lock. It didn’t make any sense. His feelings did not make any logical sense. He paused and rested his head against the frame.

But they felt so real. So right. Though every logical part of Baekhyun’s brain was telling him that his feelings were beyond reason, he knew them to be real.

A few week ago Baekhyun was walking down the beach. The walk started off nice. Then a gust of wind caught him hard, making Baekhyun stop to find his footing. Once he regained his balance, Baekhyun was again sent reeling, but it wasn’t the wind that knocked out the breath out of him. On the nearest sand-volleyball court was a group of guys drinking water. Among them was a man with short blond hair.

“Sehun, let’s go!” yelled one of the guys.

Baekhyun shook his head and started walking again. He could feel his heart racing in his chest and he began sweating nervously. He stopped and looked back. His eyes honed in on that other man who suddenly caused him to feel a rush of overwhelming emotions. At that point, he knew that his perfectly assembled puzzle for life was not complete.

So like a good research student, he researched his topic of interest. Discovered the details of Oh Sehun: where he was from, his swimming career, any interests he could find. Both mind and body warming with knowledge of the man.

As Baekhyun researched, he also learned how different the two of them were. How Sehun excelled at athletics, academics, and social settings. Baekhyun knew he shone bright in his department at the university, but that was all he had.

When he was younger he discovered how he wasn’t gifted with the athletic abilities. He missed almost every soccer ball, basketball and football passed his way. Though he surprised himself by getting hit by every single dodgeball.

What could he have that would even appeal to a guy like Oh Sehun?

Even though he felt that he had nothing to offer, Baekhyun sought to get to know Sehun better. Every attempted he made failed. Baekhyun postulated that this was the universe bringing him back to reality, back to a world distant from people like Sehun.

Baekhyun mounted the bike and started toward his apartment, not looking back. The piece of his puzzle that he so desperately yearned for was not far from him. But Sehun felt so out of reach.

Deep down Baekhyun knew that piece called Oh Sehun would not mathematically, rationality or logically fit into his world.


	2. Second

The pitter-patter of rain was a soothing melody for the students straining their brains in the library. Baekhyun idly flipped a page of the research documents his advisor had given   
him. They were so-called “reading materials” for his nearly finished dissertation. He only had to write one more section, and he would finish it before the summer ended. With his   
dissertation complete, he could graduate in August, and his next step would finding a job.

Baekhyun sighed when he heard the rain pick up its pace. Looking around, he saw the library was packed. Baekhyun was lucky to find a small table that could barely hold two   
people’s material. He hoped that his papers covered the table enough to ward off frantic students looking for an unoccupied spot.

A loud laugh could be heard across the room disturbing the silence for the fifth time. This is why Baekhyun avoided this building. It was crowded most of the time, and some   
people were only here to socialize. As soon it was silent, some fresh commotion would disturb the peace, making it practically impossible to focus.

One of the librarians, approached the talkative table and spoke to them in hushed tones. After a few moments, the people began packing up their books with scowls on their   
faces. They left the library grumbling, and silence once again blanketed the space.

It was some time later when a tall boy rounded the corner and spotted the vacant table.

“Hey guys. There’s and empty table over here,” he hastily whispered to the others.

The sound of backpacks emptying on the table was soon heard. There was a low murmur among the group new students, probably discussing what subjects they needed to study.   
As soon as the group reached a decision on their study topics, the library returned to its previous state of studious silence.

The loud bang of a textbook hitting the ground abruptly broke the newly found silence, followed by soft swearing from the student responsible for the disruption.

Baekhyun looked up to see a guy turned away, bending down to pick up the textbook that he have dropped. As the student stood up, he looked over his shoulder shyly and made   
eye contact with Baekhyun.

It was Oh Sehun. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Sehun turned away and quickly sat in the last open chair. His back was to Baekhyun and he was hunched over the table.   
The other people at the table looked confused and spoke quietly to Sehun.

Baekhyun looked back at his papers when he heard soft whispers coming from their table. But it didn’t take long for him to steal a glance their way. Baekhyun noticed a few of the   
people from the beach where Sehun played volleyball. One of the students looked over in Baekhyun’s direction. When his eyes locked with Baekhyun’s, he had a quick look of   
shock, but then a sly grin appeared on his face when he turned back to his table.

Baekhyun was confused, excited, and scared. Confused by the boy’s action. Excited that Sehun was so close. And scared that Sehun was so close. This might be the first time that   
Baekhyun and his crush were in the same room.

He forced himself to concentrate on his work. It shouldn’t be hard to do, but the pounding of his heart was making him lose focus. He needed to calm down.

He glanced toward Sehun’s table. The group was in some heated, but quiet, discussion. They kept pointing fingers in his direction and nodding their heads. Sehun kept shaking   
his head and moved his hand in a dismissing motion.

Baekhyun secretly looked around to figure out what they were looking at. When he gazed behind him, he saw a table full of girls studying. Again, when Baekhyun had found a drop   
of hope, someone else splashed away his chances of meeting Sehun.

He looked back to the athletes’ table, and the boy who gave him a weird look before now looked fierce. He must have said something punitive, because Sehun shrank in his chair.   
A few seconds later, Sehun looked at him, nodded, and then started to pack his bag.

Baekhyun looking at his papers. He didn’t want to see his crush walk over to those girls. He didn’t want to feel more disappointment. He could handle not being with Sehun, but   
the knowledge that Sehun was with someone else hurt him like trying to solve Carmichael’s totient function conjecture.

“Hey. Mind if I sit here?”

Baekhyun jerked his head up and saw a dark-brown eyes and soft smile. Oh Sehun was actually talking to him.

Baekhyun always dreamt of how their first meeting would be. They would fall into easy conversation, having endless topics to discuss. Then the two would exchange contact   
information and have promises of meeting again. Simple and sweet.

But conversation did not flow from Baekhyun’s mouth as his brain stopped working. The silence stretched on to an awkward length. Sehun’s smile dropped, and he started   
squirming where he stood.

“I got kicked out of my table because I…didn’t want to study what they were.”

Baekhyun glanced around to see Sehun’s ex-table’s possessors quickly look away, as if they were hiding something.

He brought his attention back to the guy in front of him. His brain, thankfully, turned back on and he found his voice. “Sure. Let me clear half of the table for you.”

“Thanks. I’m Oh Sehun”

Baekhyun nearly let slip he already knew his name, and more. Instead he shook the extended hand. “Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun gathered his papers into one pile on his side of the table without his hands shaking too much.

Sehun slowly sat in the empty chair and started to pull out his textbooks.

Baekhyun stared at his papers, trying to form a plan of what to do. He wanted to talk to Sehun, ask questions to know more about his crush. But they were in a library and Sehun   
came here to study. He shouldn’t interrupt him.

After a few minutes of nervous silence, Baekhyun heard Sehun’s quiet voice. “What are you reading?”

Baekhyun looked at him hesitantly. Sehun was wearing a small smile and his textbook was opened to a chapter near the end of the book. Which was odd because the summer   
semester was not even halfway done.

“It’s an article called Why the Data Train Needs Semantic Rails. My advisors give me articles they think will help further my research.” Baekhyun hoped Sehun couldn’t hear his voice   
shake.

“That’s cool of them. What kind of research are you doing?”

“My research is on the advantage and disadvantage of artificial intelligence’s impact on society.” Baekhyun turned the article around as if he was in a meeting with other of his   
advisors. “I take into account both sides of the argument, whether humans should develop AI, and show scientifically, sociologically, politically, and environmentally what is better   
for the human race.” He leaned forward and pointed to a line he highlighted earlier. “For instance, this article tries to determinate what type of data should be integrated by   
machine and how to, in the future, acquire datasets that we cannot get presently. It hypothesizes that—“

Baekhyun stopped talking and internally cursed himself. It was a bad habit that he had: once he started talking about his research, he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to come across   
as a huge nerd to Sehun, especially during his first-ever conversation—if it could even be called that. In his dreams, if—and it was a big if—Sehun and he ever did talk, he wanted   
to play it “cool”, as people say, and be approachable. Baekhyun tended to scare-non-computer-science people off when he talked about his research.

Baekhyun was about to apologize for the flood of information wan his vision was full of blond hair. Baekhyun was bending so far over the table that his face was mere inches from   
Sehun’s, which was looking down at the AI article. He had never been this close to Oh Sehun.

The hair was quickly replaced by Sehun’s face, and his lips were moving very slowly.

Baekhyun pulled back from Sehun, hoping that his pounding heart could not be heard in the quiet of the library. He stared at the man in front of him, trying to process what was   
just said. “Sorry, wat did you say?”

Sehun’s smile flattened. “Do you thing that an open source of data is a bad idea for the AI machines? Like the internet?”

Baekhyun didn’t reply right away. He was too stunned that Sehun was still sitting across from him; he had no scared him off. And he seemed to be interested in his work in   
computer science.

“I suppose you thought I didn’t know anything about AI.”

Baekhyun saw that Sehun was now focusing on his textbook and looked…disappointed?

“No, I don’t think that. I really didn’t hear you question. And I was also surprised that I didn’t bore you with all of that information.”

Sehun looked back at Baekhyun and bit his lip. “I think the topic is pretty interesting. And I think it is great that you are so passionate about your research. It makes other people   
want to learn from you.”

Baekhyun was stunned. The man he had a crush on complimented his and actually liked that Baekhyun was a nerd. He must had a shocked expression, because Sehun had a small   
smile.

“I…I believe that you have a lot of enthusiasm for volleyball and swimming. You seem to draw people in and make them not want to look away.”

It was Sehun’s time to be surprised. Baekhyun gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back for returning the compliment.

“You’ve seen me swim? And play volleyball? When?”

Baekhyun now gave himself a metaphorical slap to the head. He couldn’t let Sehun know that he secretly watched him play volleyball. He just gotten Sehun interested in his   
nerdiness.

“Twice…maybe three times,” he quickly lied. “Sometimes when I walk on the beach I see you play with other students.”

Sehun seemed to brighten at the words. “We’re in a summer city league. Some of the people I play with are over there.” Sehun turned and pointed to his original table. “That guy   
on the end is Jongin, and his boyfriend Kyungsoo is sitting across from him. Jongin and I are on the swim team, and we play competitive volleyball together during league play.   
Though we usually have a group of us get together and play for fun.

Baekhyun was looking at the occupied table, memorizing the students’ names as Sehun rattled off the rest. The tan guy, Jongin, turned to look their way. When they locked eyes,   
he smiled and gave a little wave.

On reflex Baekhyun waved back and tried to smile, but was more confused about him actions.

“Don’t mind Jongin. He can get nosey.” Sehun gave a shooing motion to Jongin. He grinned widely and gave a thumps-up. Sehun turned his chair and groaned. “Really, please, do   
not mind Jongin.”

Baekhyun let a quiet chuckle. “You guys seem to be close.”

“Yeah, that dumb is my best friend.” The smile Sehun was wearing as he talked dropped. “Why haven’t I seen you on the beach before?”

The truth to that question would never be revealed. “There are a lot of people on the beach at this time of the year. And you seemed to be very engrossed in the game.”

Sehun pondered for a moment. “That’s true. People have told me I get tunnel vision when I play sports.” He stayed quiet for a few more moments, seeming to debate what to do.   
“You never answered my answer about you research.”

The two of them talked quietly for the next couple of hours. Baekhyun learned that Sehun was twenty two, two years younger than he, and that he wanted to work for his father’s   
company after earning an MBA. The pair chatted about the classes they were taking, people they both knew, and activities they did in their spare time. Baekhyun was thrilled to   
know that they had similar interests. Sehun always seemed so unattainable, like he was in this high pedestal when Baekhyun gazed at him from afar. But while talking to Sehun,   
Baekhyun learned that they were not so different.

Jongin place a hand on Sehun’s shoulder and said, “The library is closing soon. We have to leave.”

Sehun nodded and turned to Baekhyun with a look of uncertainty. Baekhyun felt the same way Sehun looked. Where did they go from here?

“Do you want to get together and study again?” Sehun asked.

Baekhyun gazed at his untouched paper and at Sehun’s book that was on the same page as when it was opened some hours ago. “I don’t think there is an ‘again’ since we didn’t   
study. But I’m willing to try.”

Sehun gave a small grin. “That sounds like a plan.” 

Baekhyun gathered his scattered documents while trying to hide his smile.

“So, can I get your number?”

Baekhyun paused in his task and looked over at Sehun, whose eyes were focused in his hands, fiddling with his cell phone. “So we can arrange when we try to study again?”

Baekhyun listed off his cell phone digits. His phone buzzed, indicating he received a text. Sehun informed Baekhyun that he just sent his own cell number.

The reality of the night didn’t set in until after Baekhyun left the library, waved goodbye to Sehun and his friends, and arrived back to his apartment, slightly we from the light   
drizzle.

Baekhyun had finally met Oh Sehun and talked to him for hours. He even got his cell phone number. But the best part of the night was the idea of learning that the two of them, in   
some shape form, could fit.


	3. Third

Baekhyun was late. He hated being late. Especially when it involved Sehun. One if his advisors caught him as he was leaving, to discuss a conference next week. A conference that his advisor had already talked to him about.

Baekhyun quickly locked his bicycle and strode to the sand court where he could see his new friends. He would have to stop using “new” since he had been hanging out with them for three weeks. After their not-study meet in the library, Baekhyun had met up with Sehun, and sometimes his friends, for meals, movies, and study groups that turned out to be more socializing than study.

It seemed that the matched had already finished one out of the possible three sets. Baekhyun was really late. Looking at the scorer’s table, Baekhyun saw that Sehun and Jongin  
lost the first set and were currently losing the second set. To win the match, they would have to win the second and third sets. He walked over to where Kyungsoo and Chanyeol  
were cheering on Sehun and Jongin and tapped the latter on the shoulder.

“Hey you!” he jumped and gave him a hug. By the time Baekhyun tried to return the hug, Chanyeol was already out of his reach.

“Hey boys! The last of the group is here, so get your asses in gear!”

Sehun, who was about to serve, stumbled and dropped the volleyball. He looked over to the waving Chanyeol and stunned Baekhyun. Sehun waved back with a smile on his face  
and moved into position to serve again.

“Why did you yell that? Sehun could have lost a point,” Baekhyun tried to whisper against wind.

Chanyeol turned with a sly grin. “It would be fine. Now that…everyone is here, Sehun and Jongin will win the match."

Baekhyun gave him a puzzled look and turned to watch the game instead. It took some time and, from what Baekhyun had seen on YouTube, chaotic playing, but Sehun and  
Jongin caught up to their opponents. And not long after that the two won the set by a close margin. When Baekhyun watched Sehun and his friends play pickup, he saw that Sehun had more finesse and fundamental skills.

As the two teams took their time to drink water and wipe off the sweat dripping down their bodies, Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo a question that was eating at him. “When Sehun  
plays volleyball, doesn’t he become so focused that nothing bothers him? The crowd, other games, or the environment. How was Chanyeol able to break his concentration?”

Kyungsoo stayed quiet for a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts. “I suppose he knows what grabs his attention. Even more than the game.”

While he tried to gather further information, the third set started, and Kyungsoo cheered for the team again. Whatever he was about to say was quickly forgotten. Sehun played the third set differently than the last one. He was more graceful and confident. Sehun and Jongin seemed to be fine, figuratively, dancing against their opponents.

The match ended quickly with victory going to Sehun and Jongin. After end-of-game protocol, their group of friends walked over to congratulate the triumphant pair. Baekhyun  
came up last, still feeling bad about showing up late.

Out of the corner of the eye, Baekhyun saw Jongin quickly approach him. He held out his hand for a congratulatory handshake, but Jongin engulfed him in a sweaty hug instead.

“Thank God you showed up! We’re still undefeated.” Jongin pulled back slightly and looked into Baekhyun’s eyes. “Never, ever be late again. Okay?”

Not sure what Jongin meant, Baekhyun nevertheless nodded his head. He did feel awful about being late to the match.

He was suddenly pulled away from Jongin and into another set of sweaty arms. His back settled on a broad, heated chest. Baekhyun couldn’t see who it was, but he hoped it was  
one person.

“What the hell Jongin? Stop making him uncomfortable with how close you are.”

Baekhyun saw a huge smile form on Jongin’s face. “And you’re not, with all that sand and sweat getting all over him?”

The muscular arms around Baekhyun loosened and pushed him away from the warm chest. His back still radiated from the heat of the embrace. Or it could be all of the hot sweat soaked into his shirt.

“Shit, Baekhyun. My bad. Your shirt looks drenched.” Sehun came into Baekhyun’s line of sight, looking anxious. “I can lend you one of mine to wear.”

“It’s okay. I’ll wash it when I get back to my apartment.” He oddly did not mind his shirt sticking to his skin since it was Sehun who did it.

“I would take Sehun up on his offer. We are going out to eat to celebrate. We talked about it before the match,” Jongin said in passing as he held Kyungsoo’s hand.

Baekhyun glanced down at his shirt again. If he was going out in public, especially a restaurant, he should have a clean shirt on.

“You guys go on ahead. I promised Baekhyun I would help him with something.”

Baekhyun froze. He’d forgotten about that. Last night at the coffee shop, he agreed to come watch Sehun’s volleyball match but did not agree with this so-called promise. He had not been able to fall asleep. He was too stressed about what Sehun wanted to do with him that he stayed up all night researching so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself. They’d only been friends for a little over three weeks, and he didn’t want to ruin this bulding relationship because he wouldn’t be able to perform at a level he thought Sehun would find pleasing.

To make it through the day without worrying himself to dead, Baekhyun buried himself in school work so he wouldn’t have time to think about Sehun’s proposition. While teaching a class for a sick professor, leading a study group for freshman computer science majors, and sitting in several meetings, Baekhyun accomplished his task of having less taxing thoughts.

“That’s okay, I’m starving, and I bet you worked up an appetite from the match you just played. Maybe another time,” Baekhyun said, hoping to hide his growing panic.

Sehun put his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “I’m not that hungry. And we’re already out here. The sun is still up for another hour. It’s the perfect time."

Baekhyun could not question his logic. But he could question the ability to not embarrass himself. And this was the perfect moment.

Baekhyun looked around the beach and saw that most of their group had already headed up to the parking lot. Kyungsoo, Jongin and Chanyeol stood by, probably to see what  
their friends’ decision was going to be.

After a brief pause, Kyungsoo spoke up. “There will be other celebratory dinners, like next week when these two play again. You guys have fun.”

Again, Baekhyun couldn’t argue with the logic. Looking at Sehun, he gave a shy smile and nodded his head. Though inside he felt defeated.

Sehun beamed at him. Jongin walked over and gave a good-bye handshake to Sehun and said something in his ear. When Baekhyun tried to eavesdrop, the pair had already  
separated. Baekhyun watched as the guys walked back to the parking lot, with Jongin’s arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder and his mouth peppering kisses in his hair while Chanyeol  
was trying to ignore them.

Baekhyun was pulled onto the volleyball court by Sehun’s large hand. Sehun made a staying gesture to Baekhyun then ran to the opposite side of the court.

Baekhyun noticed that they were the only people left on this side of the beach, besides a few people walking the shore.

Sehun walked back with his gym bag around his shoulder. “Our game started a little late because the match before us also went three sets. There is still a little bit of sunlight, so we should be fine for an hour.” Sehun rummaged through his bag before pulling out two T-shirts- “Here you go.”

Baekhyun grabbed the shirt. “Thanks. I’ll return it after I wash it.” He peeled his saturated shirt over his head and wiped down any sweat he could off of his chest and back.  
Sehun’s shirt was a little baggy on him, Sehun being taller and more muscular. The muscles Sehun gained from swimming were not bulky but lean. Baekhyun blushed at the  
thought of how he admired those muscles.

“Do you walk and cycle every day?”

Hearing Sehun’s question, Baekhyun glanced over at the no-longer shirtless athlete, who was rifling through his bag.

“I cycle every day to the university instead of driving my car. The amount of time I walk has gone down since I am nearly done with my dissertation.”

“Yeah, you told me that walking helps you figure out problems with your research.” Sehun said as he looked Baekhyun over. “You look good.”

Baekhyun barely heard the last of Sehun’s words, not sure if he was meant to hear it. Baekhyun didn’t think his body could measure up to that of an athlete. But here was  
conference-ranked swimmer Oh Sehun admiring nerdy Byun Baekhyun’s chest and arms. The blush on Baekhyun’s face was not seen by Sehun since he reached into his bag and  
pulled out a volleyball.

“Okay. With what little light we have, you shall learn the ways of volleyball.” Sehun grinned as he threw the ball at Baekhyun. Baekhyun caught it with ease, thanking God he had at least that much hand-eye coordination.

Sehun positioned his body as if he was going to pass the ball with his forearms. As he showed the stance, he explained the how and why of it. Baekhyun listened intently, taking in new information that he had not already learned from his Internet research last night.

Baekhyun’s first athletic task, not counting catching a ball, was to toss the volleyball at Sehun’s arms and observe how Sehun’s body moved when passing a volleyball. He tossed several, most of them landing close to Sehun’s forearms, and saw how Sehun moved his arms and his legs. It looked easy enough.

Baekhyun’s second athletic task was to be the one passing the volleyball. Baekhyun gave himself a mental pep talk. _I can do this. The theory is simple. All I need to do is use force_ _and momentum to pass the ball. Easy._

Baekhyun’s first pass—if it could be called that—went six inches in front of him. The second, behind him, and the third, straight up into the air. After the twenty-sixth  
unsuccessful attempt, Baekhyun held up his hands in defeat and humiliation.

Sehun walked back over after having to, again, pick up an off-target ball. “What’s the matter?” he asked with concern.

“Thank you for trying to teach me, but it seems that I’m not able to learn volleyball.” Baekhyun thought that was a good way not to deter Sehun from his love of volleyball, and also not to embarrass himself.

Sehun chuckled. “I thought you were a genius. You should be able to learn anything.”

“In theory, yes. But when put into application, not all is possible. The physicality of this sport is too advance for me, I will have to strengthen my—“

“Theory? What do you mean?” Sehun interrupted him.

Baekhyun tensed. This was the library scene all over again. “Uh, you know, you can read anything and understand the concept, but when you actually try the task you just read  
about it can somet—“

“You read up on volleyball?”

Baekhyun looked down in the sand. He’d known this was going to happen at some point. Sehun should now see him as an embarrassment to a sport he loved. Baekhyun took a  
deep breath and slowly looked at Sehun. There was a huge grin on Sehun’s face. He never imagined that Sehun would laugh at someone’s inability to learn. “I better get going.”

“Wait. Why?” Sehun was still grinning.

Baekhyun bent down and grabbed his discarded, wet, and now sandy shirt. “I won’t be able to learn this, and I don’t appreciate people laughing at my inabilities.”

His wrist was seized by a large, rough hand before he could walk away. “I wasn’t laughing at you. Why do you think I was making fun of you?”

“You had this huge smirk on your face that—“

Sehun turned him around, and Baekhyun noticed he was still smiling. “Sorry, I didn’t know I was smiling. I was—am—just really happy.”

Baekhyun was confused by Sehun’s response. “Why?”

The smile faded on Sehun, and he looked bashful. “Well, that’s because, um…” he said, ”because you studied a sport I love and am passionate about. It seemed to me that you…  
that you might have studied volleyball because of…me?”

Baekhyun tried to pull his arms out of Sehun’s grisp. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship they were forming. His disclosed secret crush would ruin any chance of staying close to Sehun. If Sehun knew that Baekhyun had a crush on him, Sehun would probably laugh at him; the nerd liking the jock.

“Please, please, just answer. I won’t laugh or be upset.” Baekhyun stopped struggling because of the desperation in Sehun’s voice. This was the moment he had hoped for, to  
confess to Oh Sehun. But dreamt it as a shared feeling, not Baekhyun’s own unrequited love.

Baekhyun took a slow breath. This was probably his only shot.

Baekhyun stared at their feet and whispered. “Yes, I researched the sport because you play it.” A few moments passed where neither man moved nor spoke. When the silence  
became unbearable, Baekhyun said, “I wanted to know your interest and learn activities you enjoy. I thought it would bring us closer together. I did this because…because I think that I…”

Baekhyun tried to take a deep breath to finish his confession. His once in a lifetime confession.

Suddenly Baekhyun was wrapped in sweat and sand and could barely breathe. There was hot breath in his hair and hands running up and down his back.

“You…do you—I mean, that makes me…that’s great.”

Baekhyun pushed off Sehun’s chest and stared into his brown eyes. Shock was the only emotion Baekhyun felt. His hands were trapped between his and Sehun’s chests.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong.” Sehun smiled more. “I learned artificial intelligence for the same reason.”

The look of shock have shown on Baekhyun’s face since Sehun’s smile got even bigger.”

“You, you like me? As in more than a friend?”

Sehun chuckled. “You know, for a genius, you are kind of slow.” Baekhyun scowled at him.” I’ve liked you for a long time.”

Baekhyun had only known Sehun’s existence for a few months. “For a long time?”

“Last semester, you thought a few of my C++ classes when the professor was sick. I was surprised by how young you were and what level you were at academically. You taught  
with ease and were able to explain concepts more clearly than our regular teacher. Most of the class was hoping he got sick more so you would come back.”

Baekhyun remembered substituting for the elective class in the spring, but he couldn’t remember seeing Sehun. The class had roughly 200 students in it, and he never got a class roster from the professor. It was also during the semester when he was publishing two papers at the same time. He tried to concentrate only on things that needed to be done, nothing more. Like noticing an attractive and academic athlete was in a class he taught nearly five months ago.

“Some of my classmates looked you up and found very impressive information about you. You are really intelligent and some prodigy, computer-science genius. But at that point I was only impressed with your intelligence.” Sehun reached a hand up and stroked Baekhyun’s face. “During the spring, the nearby high school was hosting their science fair on campus. As I was walking to class, I saw you helping a group of students pick up the pieces of their broken project. They were so worried about not getting a grade for their project and failing the class. You asked one of the judges if you could help the students repair their project. He agreed.”

A soft laugh came from Sehun. “I bet he thought you were going to use glue and cardboard paper. You were walking the group up to the engineering building when I had to sprint to class since I was already late. I heard later that you spent the entire afternoon letting those high schoolers mess around in the labs, and helped them build something too advanced to be considered for the competition.”

Baekhyun remembered that event well. “They rebuilt their prosthetic hand, using equipment such as the 3-D printer and a soldering gun.” He really only helped the group use the equipment, trying to allow them to complete most of their project. The students had such a good time and expressed a greater interest for science. “Who did you hear it from?”

“I’m friends with a football player who is majoring in mechanical engineering. He saw you. And I told my friends about it.” Sehun’s hands stopped. “I wanted to approach you,  
many times, but I realized our difference when I saw your department debated another school about AI research. You seemed so unattainable. You are just so smart and so wanted by the academic world that I thought I couldn’t fit into your life. You would see me as…a dumb jock. I know I’m not stupid, but I’m nowhere near your intelligence.”

Sehun’s other hand ran through Baekhyun’s dark hair. “So I studied AI and looked for an opportunity to approach you.” He laughed. “You are a wanted man. I could never get close to you, always surrounded by professors, company representatives, and other students. At some point I thought to give up, but—there you were in the library on a rainy night.”

To say Baekhyun wasn’t shocked would be a huge understatement. They had the same feelings for each other. The two of them were also reluctant to approach because of the  
same thoughts.

When Sehun opened his mouth to speak again, Baekhyun put his finger to his lips. “Me too. Everything you said, I did feel the exact same way,” Baekhyun hurriedly said. “Except  
for the teaching part. I saw you playing volleyball when I was walking one day. I was actually supposed to be somewhere else. But I’m now glad there are fraternities and sororities. Oh, and I also read up on swimming. Didn’t need to on economics. And you were always surrounded by your friends, and girls on campus, and at the beach playing volleyball. I couldn’t find an opportunity to approach you…”

Baekhyun took a moment to catch his breath. “I’ve never wanted something more in my life than you. It hurts how much I like you. I feel that—“

Baekhyun’s explanation was cut short when Sehun kissed him, hard and frantic. He felt Sehun’s hand on his lower back pull him closer, making him stand on his toes. His arms  
were still trapped between their bodies, so all he could do was enjoy the sensations.

When he tried to pull back for air, Sehun slipped his tongue in Baekhyun’s open mouth. The passionate kiss was killing Baekhyun, both the feelings behind it and the lack of  
oxygen. His lungs could not compare to those of a swimmer. Baekhyun moved his hands around, hitting any part of Sehun that he could.

“Ouch.” Sehun pulled back after Baekhyun pinched his abdomen. Baekhyun threw his head back and closed his eyes, trying to draw in the much-needed oxygen. The arm that was holding him tight to the muscular body moved to his shoulder.

“Sorry. I guess I was too excited.” Sehun shrugged, looking sheepish.

“No. Don’t worry.” Baekhyun got out between pants. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I need to breathe every now and then.”

Sehun grinned at him. “I’ll remember that. Can I kiss you again?”

Baekhyun answered the man with a kiss of his own. They kissed slowly this time, trying to make the moment last as long as possible. Baekhyun ran his own free hands up and  
down Sehun’s back, touching the strong muscles he had seen many timed on the beach. When they broke for air, Sehun rested his forehead on Baekhyun’s and gave him a sweet smile.

“I suppose we can’t practice anymore volleyball. The sun has set.” Sehun kissed his forehead. “How about we get dinner? Just the two of us.”

Baekhyun hummed happily. “That sounds great. I was starving an hour ago.” Sehun laughed and laced Baekhyun’s fingers in his. Walking toward Sehun’s gym bag. Baekhyun  
remembered something about earlier.

“What did Jongin say to you? Before he, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol left.”

Sehun knelt down next to his bag. “He told me to man up already and ask you out.”

Baekhyun laughed. “Are you going to tell him that I confessed to you first?”

Sehun stopped his packing and looked thoughtful. “No. We’ll let them use their imaginations. We’re the only ones who need to know how sappy we got.”

Baekhyun liked the answer, though he believed that if they showed affection around their friends, the secret would be out. He looked out to the ocean, watching the dark waves  
crash in. “I guess we’ll have to try another time to teach me volleyball.”

Sehun looked up from placing items in his bag. “You still want to learn?”

Baekhyun knelt next to him, placing a hand on Sehun’s knee. “I want to learn everything you enjoy, remember? Just try not to laugh too hard.”

Sehun leaned over and kissed Baekhyun gently. “I like that plan. In return you’ll have to teach me more about your research. Sound good, boyfriend?”

Baekhyun couldn’t hide the grin forming after hearing Sehun’s endearment. “Sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Hello! I hope all of you like this fic! I think there will be just two more chapters and then it will be done! But I was going to do the next chapter a little bit more sexy? haha I mean, if you want me to!  
> So please comment what you think! :D Thanks!  
> XOXO :3


	4. Fourth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this has R-rated moments xD  
> So if you don't want to read you can skip that part :D

Baekhyun peeked down the hallway one more time before quietly shutting the locker room door. He made sure no one saw him enter the building.

“Hey. I saw Coach leave ten minutes ago, so you can stop being spy-like.”

Baekhyun jumped at Sehun’s voice. He turned around to see Sehun sitting bare chested on the only bench in the locker room, drying his hair with a small towel, and smiling at  
Baekhyun.

“I just don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Sehun told him that his Coach allowed the swimmers to use the locker room out of season. But they could only use it to shower and change for swimming purposes. One of the  
Coach’s many rules. Some of his rules were minimum GPA, curfew season, and not to play other sports, club and intramural included. The last rule was most important as it is  
place to prevent superfluous injury.

“Anyway, I still parked my car in the lot that you said your coach doesn’t use,” Baekhyun said.

Sehun hummed happily in response.

Baekhyun smiled at the thought that Sehun was in a better mood. For the past few days, Sehun had been distant and gloomy. He hoped having finished classes and winning the  
volleyball league would cheer up Sehun, since Baekhyun had been unsuccessful in his methods.

Baekhyun noticed something different about the locker room. The walls were bare, but showed and even discoloration of paint, except near the door that lead to the video room.  
The only other time Baekhyun had been in this locker room was last week, when Sehun and Jongin wanted to wash off after their semi-final match. Some of the athletes used the  
school’s athletic locker rooms after they led the beach since they were closer than their dorm rooms.

He definitely remembered seeing locker on the walls and more benches bolted to the floor.

“Is the athletic department renovating the swim team’s locker room?”

“That’s why you’re the genius. Jongin though one of the other teams was pulling a prank. He left after dropping me off.” Sehun chuckled as he stood up. He tossed the towel onto  
the bench and pulled a shirt and shoes from his gym bag.

Baekhyun watched as Sehun covered his mouth-watering torso, buttoning up the dress shirt. He noticed that Sehun had chosen a pair of leather shoes to complete the stunning  
look. The doctoral student looked down at his clothes he thought were nice a minute ago. The dark blue polo and black jeans looked inadequate next to Sehun’s stylish attire.

Thinking back, Baekhyun couldn’t remember Sehun mentioning any plans he had tonight. He couldn’t have forgotten anything; his brain didn’t allow him to. He assumed it would  
be the two of them tonight.

“Do you have somewhere to be tonight?”

Lacing up a shoe, Sehun said. “Just places with you.”

Baekhyun was further lost. “Did we make plans other than dinner?”

After knotting the shoe he was working on, Sehun sat on the bench and held out his hand. Baekhyun took a few steps, grabbed he outstretched hand, and sat next to his  
boyfriend.

Boyfriend. A label that Baekhyun never dreamt of calling Sehun until that confession-filled night four weeks ago. They spent their time together similarly to when they started  
being friends: late nights talking, hanging out with friends, and enjoying meals.

However, they now also indulged in soft lingering kisses, cuddling on Baekhyun’s coach, and passionate nights of heated touches.

Sehun took Baekhyun’s hand into both of his, rubbing the skin in slow circles. “I was hoping to celebrate tonight’s win at a more…upscale restaurant. Where we can actually wine  
and dine.”

Baekhyun smiled slightly at the idea. “First off, congratulations to you and Jongin on being ‘Kings of the Beach’. Secondly, you are still a baby, so you cannot ‘wine’ yet. Thirdly, I  
would love to eat at that restaurant, but I think I’m underdressed. And am I not supposed to take you out for you victory?”

“I was going more for the expression, less the alcohol but I’m not a baby. I think that shade of blue brings out your eyes. And I’m sure you can think of something to help me  
celebrate,” Sehun said, kissing the back of Baekhyun’s hand after finishing each sentence.

Baekhyun blushed at the scenes he imagined, showing vigorous ways he could help Sehun celebrate. The look Sehun gave him indicated they had similar ideas. Baekhyun leaned in  
for a kiss. “Since your opinion is the only one that matters, I will be happy to look normal next to your handsome self.”

Sehun slowly kissed Baekhyun, pulling away to nip at his bottom lip. “You are so much more than normal. You’re—“

The men pulled apart after hearing a loud bang outside the locker room. A few moments later, another crash was heard. This time closer to the door.

Brief pauses in the clamor allowed Baekhyun and Sehun to hear bits of a conversation.

“Which room? …Careful with those… This door Coach? …Tomorrow we’ll start…”

Sehun jumped off the bench. “Shit! We have to hide!” he whispered sharply. As Sehun grabbed clothes and his bag, Baekhyun dashed to the only concealing space. When he had  
pulled the door open slightly, Sehun shoved him into the room and quickly shut the door behind them, encompassing the two in complete darkness. Baekhyun was thrown against  
a waist-high object, which he tumbled over, then crashed at something smooth and supple.

There was silence. Baekhyun tried to stay still on his back, not familiar with his surroundings. When the quietness stretched on Baekhyun whispered, “Sehun? What—“

“Shhh. Just until they’re gone,” Sehun said in a low voice.

Baekhyun suspected that Sehun had his ear plastered against the door. He couldn’t tell if the voices from the hall were even in the locker room. A sudden crash had him jump  
nearly off whatever he was on. Now Baekhyun knew people were in the other room.

The sounds of movement and shuffling went on for several minutes, with low murmurs being heard. The sounds eventually died out, and silence was the only noise for a full  
minute.

“I think they’re gone.”

A sudden light had Baekhyun covering his eyes. When his vision adjusted, Sehun’s face was mere inches above Baekhyun’s. His boyfriend was leaning over the back of the leather  
couch Baekhyun had fallen on.

“Sorry about pushing you. I didn’t want Coach to catch me. He would know that I was breaking one of the rules.” Sehun gave him a lopsided grin.

Baekhyun smiled at him. “You have to believe he already knows. Gossip spreads quickly, and more than half of the campus has seen you play volleyball.”

A quick peck was placed on Baekhyun’s lips. “Probably. But I like to live with some ignorance.”

Baekhyun chuckled, running a hand through his boyfriend’s hair as he pulled him down for another kiss, this one more eager. Baekhyun slid his tongue into Sehun’s open mouth,  
receiving a moan. His other hand grabbed onto Sehun’s shoulder, attempting to pull him over the couch and on top of him.

Sehun broke the kiss. “We should get going if we want to make our reservation.”

Baekhyun nodded. As he sat up, Baekhyun thought of something witty. “If you are that hungry, I know something that will satisfy your appetite.”

Sehun moaned as he pecked Baekhyun’s lips. “Keep hat plan for dessert.”

Baekhyun stood up and took his surroundings while Sehun gathered his discarded bag and clothes. He had never been in the swim team’s video room before. There were two  
leather couches and a few chairs facing a large television mounted on the wall. On a shelf below were DVD and VCR players, and a collection of DVD and VCR cases, labeled with  
names of other schools and individual opponents.

“Oh no.”

Baekhyun turned his head to see Sehun clutching the doorknob with one hand while his gym bag was over his shoulder. Sehun wore a look of panic. He turned the knob again and  
pushed. And pushed. Then he shoved the door with his body weight, letting his gym bag fall to the ground.

“No! Damn it!” Sehun rested his head against the wood and banged it with his fists.

“Does the door lock from the inside?” Baekhyun approached slowly. He gently laid a hand on Sehun’s tensed shoulder.

Sehun tried opening the door one more time with no success. “No, this door doesn’t have a lock on it. We shut it all the time when watching a film. Why won’t it open?”

Baekhyun took a step back and examined the shut door. As Sehun mentioned there was no lock on the door handle. He also noticed that the hinges were not visible. “Then  
something is blocking the entry on the other side. What were those men moving?”

“What?” Sehun grunted as he tried to break down the door again.

“The noises we just heard. When we were hiding? It sounded like they were moving something around.”

Sehun paused in his frustrating task. A look of clarity dawned on his face. “The school bought us new lockers and benches. We were never told they were doing the renovation  
today. Or this week.”

Knowing that they were stuck for a bit, Baekhyun sat back down on the couch. “Why would the administration notify anyone? It’s summertime. The construction won’t affect any  
students or activities.”

Baekhyun lifted his hand to Sehun, asking him to join him on the couch. After a deep sigh, Sehun took the offered hand and plopped on the leather. His other hand rubbed over  
Baekhyun’s joined one.

“Do you have your phone?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “I left it in my car. I didn’t think we would be in here for long. Where is yours?”

“In my bag. But the battery is dead.” Sehun rested his head on the joined hands.

Baekhyun’s free hand rubbed the short brown lock, trying to be soothing. “I guess we are stuck in here until the workers return tomorrow.” At least he hoped it would be  
tomorrow. He thought he heard earlier whispers speak of it.

“No. We need to find a way out,” Sehun asserted, letting go of Baekhyun’s hand to stand up.

Baekhyun gripped Sehun’s hand and pulled him back down on the couch. Baekhyun waited until Sehun looked at him before explaining their predicament.

“We cannot physically open the door. There are stack of lockers and benches preventing that path, and the hinges are on the outside, so we cannot remove the door. The only  
other way out is crawling through the duct, but no one of us needs to be shoebox size. We have no way to communicate to someone outside of this room, unless we yell. But at  
this time on a Friday, there will be nobody around. There isn’t—“

“Please. Just stop,” Sehun groaned. “I don’t need ways not to get out. I need a way to get out. Right now.”

Baekhyun kissed his boyfriend’s hair, trying to soothe him. “I’m grateful for the dinner you had planned, but we can always celebrate your win tomorrow.”

“No, it has to be tonight. I have plans for you.”

That puzzled Baekhyun. “For me?”

Sehun froze. “I mean, for us?”

“Are you asking or stating that?”

Sehun slumped, looking defeated. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes trained on the floor. “I, umm…I made plans to congratulate you. You submitted your dissertation and  
defended it earlier this week. I actually had something planned that night, just a little dinner and candlelight. After you exited the auditorium triumphantly, I went to congratulate  
you but your advisors had already surrounded you and announced what they had prepared for you as a celebration.”

Baekhyun watched as Sehun took a breath and then looked away.

“Watching you interact with the CEO of Robotic Corp. was like watching you leave. They made you an offer, right there at dinner. From what you told me it’s your dream job,  
working for them. So I was really happy for you…but I can’t help but feel miserable. That company is on the other side of the country. We will probably never see each other since I  
have a year left and then two years for an MBA here. So it—“

“You are going to get your MBA here?” Baekhyun interrupted.

Sehun looked a little shaken from the disruption. “I talked with my professors last week, and they told me that if I apply, I’ll be one of their top candidates. It’s one of the best—“

“Programs in the nation. Top five, I know,” Baekhyun said happily. “That’s great!”

Sehun looked slightly peeved. “Thanks,” he spat. “Were you not listening to what I was saying? We are going to be nearly two thousand miles apart.”

“No, we are not,” Baekhyun replied. “We are going to be forty-five point seven miles away, plus or minus your office.”

The look of confusion on his boyfriend’s face made Baekhyun bite the inside of his cheek to not laugh out loud. “Does Robotics Corp. have another office in the area?” Sehun  
asked.

“No. But Kuora has one in the next city.”

Sehun mouth gaped like a fish. “Are you telling me that you turned down a job with a multinational company for a…startup company?”

Baekhyun turned his entire body so that he could face Sehun. He crossed his legs and brought their hands back together. “I turned down that job for a small company I know is  
one day going to be bigger and more powerful than Robotic Corp. Kuora may be little now, but their employees really believe in what they are doing. Beliefs I share. They invited  
me on an interview last week while you were in class. I was offered a position the next day.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sehun asked as he moved to mimic Baekhyun’s position.

“You were preparing for your two finals and projects. I also wanted to make it a surprise after I defended my dissertation. It would be the icing on the cake after your summer  
classes and my completion of the PhD program. But you looked depressed this week. I imagined you believed you didn’t do well on your exams, so I was going to wait until after  
you found out your grades.”

Sehun removed his hands form Baekhyun’s and threw a face into them with a groan. “I’ve been worrying for the past three days, thinking that you were leaving and we would have  
to break up.” Baekhyun heard a chuckle from Sehun. “Jongin is going to kill me when he hears about this.”

Baekhyun let out a relieved laugh. He had been worried about why Sehun was so distant the past few days.”Is this why Jongin was carrying the team on his back today?”

The question made Sehun drop his hands, a scowl on his face. “He did not carry me. I was just letting him have his moment of shine.”

“You decided this for the championship game?” Baekhyun said around his laughter. “Real smart, Oh.”

Sehun’s pout made Baekhyun laugh louder.

“Stop laughing. I was really worried. Will you—“

Baekhyun tried to fend off Sehun’s playful hands, but he was no match for the swimmer’s strength. Baekhyun found himself pinned on the leather couch looking up at a smirking  
Sehun. His arms were held down above his head by only one of Sehun’s hands.

“Looks like I’ve _Pegged_ you down.” Sehun’s other hand trilled down Baekhyun’s clothed torso. He stopped his journey right above Baekhyun’s jeans. “I wonder what I should do  
with you. Any suggestions?”

Baekhyun shivered as Sehun moved his hands in circles. “I suppose we both have congratulations in order.”

“I suppose we do.” Sehun leaned down for a kiss.

Baekhyun’s hands were released from their prison, allowing him to run his fingers in Sehun’s cropped hair and pull him closer. Two hands were on his abdomen, pulling his polo  
up. Baekhyun arched off the couch, pressing their bodies closer, to help Sehun with his task. They broke free to get the shirt over Baekhyun’s head. Baekhyun reached Sehun  
again, wanting to feel the warmth of the man who made his heart both stop and beat out of control.

“Wait a second,” Sehun said breathlessly.

Sehun started, his eyes roaming over the naked torso that they lay before him. His hand traveled the same path down Baekhyun’s chest.

Baekhyun closed his eyes as his body trembled at the touch. The caress was gone too soon, leaving a cold trail in its wake. Baekhyun opened his eyes to see Sehun undoing the  
top button of his dress shirt.

“Let me.” Baekhyun sat up and pushed Sehun’s hands away. Slowly he opened the dress shirt, revealing the muscular gift underneath. When the final button was unfastened,  
Baekhyun ran his hand up Sehun’s chest and shoulders.

Sehun leaned his head back, moaning from the contact. Baekhyun took advantage, kissing the exposed skin on his neck. He didn’t suck hard, knowing that Sehun would be teased  
endlessly by their friends. The shirt was removed from Sehun and dropped over the back of the couch.

The pair fell back on the leather, hands leisurely roaming over now-bare skin. Their lips moved gently over one another’s. Sehun nipped at Baekhyun’s lower lip, eliciting a moan  
from the genius. Sehun licked the tender flesh before pulling back.

Bare chest to bare chest, they stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. The spell was broken when Sehun ran a hand through Baekhyun’s hair.

“I had this grand plan tonight. To woo you, making you see what you’ll miss and not want to leave. It sounds selfish, and it is, but I have you in my life and I don’t want to let you  
go.” Sehun gave Baekhyun a soft kiss. “The restaurant was the first stop. We were going to drive to a bed and breakfast Kyungsoo told me about. It’s on a beach and far from any  
busy city. We would have walked on the beach, hand in hand, and gazed at the stars. Then back in our room, I’d worship your body to the point you couldn’t handle me not being  
near you. The sound of my voice or the feel of my touches.” Baekhyun quivered as Sehun ran a hand down his chest, as if he wanted to emphasize his point.

“That would be hard to leave. But you don’t need to go to that extent to make me stay. I’m not leaving you,” Baekhyun spoke softly.

“What would have happen if I had decided to pursue a different MBA program? I wouldn’t be at this school.”

Baekhyun held Sehun’s face with both of his hands. “With the advancement of technology, I can work from any place. I told Kuora that I might have to work long-distance went the  
interviewed me, and they were fine with it. The company is mostly programming, so we don’t need much to communicate.” He pressed his lips to Sehun’s and whispered. “You  
have become the essential piece to the puzzle of my life. I wouldn’t be able to finish it without you.”

Sehun bit his lip, seeming to have trouble forming his next words. “You…I…Why?

“You know, for one of the best swimmers in the conference, you are a bit slow,” Baekhyun teased. “For the same reason that you want me to stay. I love you.”

Baekhyun’s heart stopped beating when Sehun smiled at him. His boyfriend closed the gap and kissed Baekhyun slowly, nipping at his lips. Sehun deepened the kiss, sliding his  
tongue on the roof of Baekhyun’s mouth. After a few minutes, Sehun rested back on his knees and popped the button on his jeans. After he pulled his zipper down, he reached  
out and repeated to process on Baekhyun’s jeans.

Trying to sit up to participate, Baekhyun found himself stuck to the leather couch. This reminded him of where they were, stuck in the swim team’s video room. “Did you bring any  
supplies?” he asked nervously.

Sehun stood from the couch. “I have most of our trip supplies in my bag. While I’m grabbing them, why don’t you finish getting out of those?” he said, pointing to Baekhyun’s  
jeans.

Admiring the way Sehun’s low hanging pants accentuated his hips, Baekhyun removed his denims and sat on the couch, waiting for Sehun’s return. He noticed the usual supplies  
plus the towel used earlier in Sehun’s hands. Baekhyun stood while Sehun laid the towel over the leather couch.

Sehun’s hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder urged him to sit back on the couch. His boyfriends knelt in front of him, grabbing his hips, and sliding him and the towel to the edge of the  
couch. Baekhyun let out a grunt of approval as Sehun cupped his dick through his boxers. He hand was soon followed by Sehun’s mouth, trying to engulf him through the cloth.

Baekhyun raised his hips, allowing Sehun to remove the last article of clothing. Hands now gave Baekhyun pleasure as they cupped his balls and stroked his shaft.

His moaning seemed to encourage Sehun, who sucked just the top of his penis. Baekhyun’s hands flew to Sehun in an attempt to grab hold of the short hair. He groaned in

frustration when he couldn’t grasp anything. His groan turned into a moan of pleasure as vibration down through his dick from Sehun’s muffled laughter.

He clutched the towel and tried not to thrust forward when Sehun engulfed him. It felt like his entire being was being sucked out of him.

“Sehun. Stop. Please,” Baekhyun panted between gasping breaths.

Sehun hummed, as if he was trying to ask, “why,” making Baekhyun whimper his boyfriend’s name.

After a few mind-numbing moments, Baekhyun tried to fight the pleasure again. “Stop. I don’t want to come yet.”

Sehun released Baekhyun’s dick with a plop as his hand lightly stroked the hard shaft. “When do you want to come then?”

Taking a few more gulps of air, Baekhyun looked down at the man who worshipped his being. Saliva and precum coated Sehun’s lips. He shone with sweat, which traveled down  
his chest and abdomen to fall hidden under the open pants. He bit his lips, trying to prevent another moan from escaping.

“In a little bit. With you.”

 

Sehun knelt and tilted forward. He kissed Baekhyun, slowly at first, trying to coax him to open his mouth. When Baekhyun hummed, finding the taste of himself on Sehun’s tongue  
appealing.

“Lie back.”

Baekhyun did as he was instructed, bending his knees to allow Sehun to sit between his legs.

Baekhyun watched as Sehun coated his fingers with lube. He felt one trace around his hole and then line up. The sudden entrance caused Baekhyun to hiss, and Sehun paused with  
his finger halfway inside.

“Don’t stop,” Baekhyun huffed.

With a chuckle Sehun continued to push in. When the finger was fully in, Sehun began to move, loosening Baekhyun. He felt himself relax as the digit move in and out of him.

Another finger was added. Sehun scissored his fingers, further stretching Baekhyun for something larger.

“Come here.” Baekhyun beckoned.  
Baekhyun hiked his hips up as Sehun crawled up to him, allowing his fingers to stay in place. He wrapped his arms around Sehun’s strong back, drawing him in for a kiss. A third  
finger joined the other two.

After a few minutes, Sehun removed his fingers, causing Baekhyun to let out a noise of frustration, and rose from the couch. Baekhyun watched as Sehun quickly stripped off his  
jeans and pulled out a foil wrapper. Baekhyun stood and snatched the condom and with a light shove pushed Sehun back on the couch.

Baekhyun saw a look of confusion on Sehun’s face as he ripped open the foil. “You’ve worshipped my body enough. Let me return the favor.”

He stroked Sehun’s already hard cock a few times before rolling the condom down it. Luckily, the bottle of lube was in reach on the floor. Baekhyun placed a generous amount on  
Sehun’s condom-covered flesh.

 

Baekhyun locked eyes with Sehun, not wanting to miss any emotion appearing in his eyes. Grabbing onto the broad shoulders for support, Baekhyun straddled Sehun. Hands  
gripped his ass, spreading his cheeks so he could easily guide himself on Sehun’s shaft.

Baekhyun tried to purposely go slow, wanting to take in the sight and sound of Sehun and to slow his approaching orgasm. He took a moment to rest his forehead on Sehun’s  
when he had completely sheathed the man.

Eyes still locked, Baekhyun lifted himself up and slowly descended. It didn’t take long for him to pick up the pace, needing more friction. His hands oved down to knead the large  
pectorals before him. The sounds coming from Sehun drove Baekhyun to quicken the peace.

The fast pace riding didn’t last as long as Baekhyun hoped. His stamina had increased from dating Sehun, but apparently not as greatly as he needed right now.

Sehun’s hands reached under Baekhyun’s ass, palming a cheek in each hand. He helped Baekhyun continue the rapid pace, lifting his body up and slamming him down.

Not needing to fully balance himself anymore, Baekhyun cupped Sehun’s face and kissed him. Their mouths moved sloppily against each other, never fully connecting. Baekhyun

broke away. “Slow down. I need to slow down,” he panted. Baekhyun wanted to continue, but his legs were exhausted from the vigorous activity.

“It’s okay. I got you.”

As Baekhyun was about to ask what he meant, Sehun stood up with hands still under his ass. Baekhyun wrapped his arms and legs around Sehun.

When Sehun took a step, Baekhyun le out a deep moan. He was still filled by Sehun’s cock. Every move Sehun made had his dick hitting deeper in Baekhyun.

Baekhyun felt the fabric from the towel in his back. Sehun had lowered him on the couch and was staring down at him. And Sehun was still sheathed inside him. Sehun gave him a  
lopsided grin, probably from seeing the look of disbelief on Baekhyun’s face.

“That was hot,” Baekhyun said.

Sehun laughed, loud and deep. “And the rest wasn’t? I need to get bett—“

 

Baekhyun’s mouth crashed into his, stopping Sehun from finishing his remark. Sehun began with slow and long thrusts. Soon the pounding was fast and frantic, both men needing  
releases. Baekhyun came first, shooting on their stomachs while moaning Sehun’s name.

Sehun thrust a few more times, riding the pleasure of Baekhyun’s inner muscles clenching around him. Baekhyun trembled as he felt Sehun release into the condom.

Neither of them moved for several moments. Baekhyun had his eyes closed, fatigue setting in. He felt Sehun’s hot breath as he panted above him. Sehun gave him a short kiss  
before pulling out.

Even after the passionate love making, Baekhyun felt the loss of warmth as Sehun disposed of the condom in a small trashcan.

“Remind me to grab that on the way out. Can’t let Coach know I’m breaking another one of his rules.” Sehun made his way back over the couch. “I know you’re tired, but we need  
the towel to wipe off.”

Sehun turned off the lights after their bodies were cleaned of sweat and cum and clothed in their boxers. Sehun lay down, pulling Baekhyun down with him so that they were chest  
to chest, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Baekhyun felt Sehun nuzzle his hair, giving it a kiss as he found a comfortable spot to rest.

“I love you.”

Baekhyun smiled at the muffled words. Kissing Sehun’s chest, he echoed the sentiment.

As he drifted off to sleep, Baekhyun heard Sehun whispering the confession again and again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG is almost done! the next chap will be more of an epilogue :p so it will be short! but I'm already writing my next Sebaek story (cuz I love them) and it's a HighSchoolAU!! :D Probably the first chap will be up this week!  
> Comment what you think of this chap! :D  
> XOXO :3


	5. Epilogue

The crowd was roaring with cheers and fight songs as the men’s 4x100 medley relay was about to begin. Baekhyun sat with Kyungsoo, catching up and idly talking when neither Jongin nor Sehun were swimming. As the swimmers lined up for the final event in the conference tournament, the audience rose to their feet.  
Baekhyun clapped with the people around him but didn’t encourage the team vocally. After their first home meet in November, he was banned from cheering by their Coach after Sehun lost two events that he, as Baekhyun was told, “Should have won by half a lap.” Later that night, Sehun agreed with his coach, telling Baekhyun that he imagined him writhing in bed when he heard him shout his name at the meets. Baekhyun had not cheered at any athletic event since then.  
He also had not returned to the men’s swimming locker room. The embarrassment of waking up locked in the video room over half a year ago still mortified Baekhyun. Luckily they were woken by the sounds of drills and hammers that morning. Sehun and Baekhyun had just enough time to throw on their clothes before their exit to freedom was opened. The construction worker and the par of students stared at each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to say something.  
Sehun, first to speak up, lied that they were practicing earlier the day before and fell asleep on the couches. When they awoke, it was dark and the door wouldn’t open, and they couldn’t call for security since their phones were dead.

The construction workers didn’t question their story and apologized for not checking the room first. The boys left their overnight prison, hopped in Baekhyun’s car, and spent the day at the bed and breakfast.

The worst part of it was they forgot to grab the dirty trash bag which contained the used condom. It was all but forgotten until Sehun introduced Baekhyun to his coach. After shaking hands, his coach turned to Sehun, asking if Baekhyun was the person who spent the night in the film room with him. Probably noticing Sehun’s shocked look, the coach explained that the workers told him of the incident and described the two men. He identified Sehun, but couldn’t figure out who the other one was. So he inspected the film room,   
just to make sure nothing was out of place. Frowning, coach announced that new couches had been ordered and asked that Baekhyun look after his best swimmer. Sehun couldn’t   
look his coach in the eyes for two weeks.

Kyungsoo brought him back to reality, talking about an internship he had lined up for the summer and that Jongin was waiting to hear from the graduate schools he applied to. He   
also mentioned that Jongin was jealous that Sehun had already received his acceptance letter. Baekhyun was sworn to secrecy not to tell Sehun. He promised and smiled at that.

Everything was occurring as they had planned months ago. Sehun was staying at the university to earn an MBA, and Baekhyun had a job he loved close by. Even though it was   
Sehun’s senior year, his coach strongly urged him to stay on campus so that he could focus all his time on school work and swimming. That didn’t stop Sehun from spending   
nights at Baekhyun’s apartment. As a concerned roommate, Jongin didn’t seem to mind his friend’s nightly absence.

Even though Sehun spent most of his nights at Baekhyun’s apartment, the two had yet to talk about living together. There had been subtle comments from both of them: Sehun   
saying he like houses with big yard, and Baekhyun’s saying he needed and extra bedroom for his computer equipment. A few times they even watched HGTV and commented on   
the style of houses or interior design. With Sehun graduating in a few months, the conversation about his living situation needed to happen soon.

The sound of the starting gun returned him to the present. The first man of each team was off, performing the backstroke. Jongin was the third leg and Sehun the fourth and final.   
The swimmers moved quickly down the pool, already having the second man diving in. Jongin finished a few strokes in fronts of his opponent which gave Sehun enough space to   
finish first.

Baekhyun began yelling his excitement, now that the event was over. The relay team celebrated before turning to the crowd, whence more cheers erupted. Sehun seemed to find   
Baekhyun easily, waving and giving a thumbs up. Baekhyun waved back and then applauded louder.

Tonight, the entire team, family, and friends will revel in the success of a season. Later on, back at Baekhyun’s place, the two of them will celebrate with each other. And when the   
sun rises tomorrow, Sehun and Baekhyun will be blissfully content, wrapped in each other’s arms. Two different puzzle shapes fitting perfectly together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God! I am so sorry! I been so busy this week! School is killing me! But Finally the last chap of this story is here! :D   
> I hope you like it!   
> Please comment about this! :D and my next stoy will be up soon! Is based on one of my fave book of all time :D   
> XOXO :3

**Author's Note:**

> Comment what you think! :D


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